Go and Tell All. . .or Just Some?

I've started reading The Great Controversy for myself, not because I feel guilty if I don't, not because it's required reading for class, but because I want to understand whether the hype in the conservative Seventh-day Adventist world is based in fact. Are we really in the end of time or is it the period where Jesus said we will see things happening but it still isn't the end. Are we in the pause before the storm?

Why is it important to me? If this is the end, then I need to be seriously preparing for it. If this is the pause, I need to be preparing others for the end. I believe that once we reach the end, everyone will have had the chance to make their own choice either for or against God. Until then, however, there are people who haven't heard from another Christian that there is a God. Which brings me to my next point. Do we evangelize the Christians or do we share the gospel with the unreached? I think my previous statement answered that question. Which may be leading me to my calling, not one just for me though, but for everyone.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28 tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. Does that mean convert everyone to be a Seventh-day Adventist or does it mean give everyone an opportunity to know who Jesus is and then leave it up to them to figure out how that looks in relation to the Bible? Ellen White says that the great sin of the Christian world would be their rejection of the law of God, the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. The precepts of Jehovah would be despised and set at nought (p. 24 in miniature Great Controversy). She goes on to describe how that looks, describing two classes of Christians, one who studies Jesus' example and looks to be more like Him and another who shuns truth exposing their error (p. 53).

As I consider what I should be doing next in life, I am struggling with reconciling life on this earth with life after it. Do I work hard so I can provide for my family or do I dedicate my life to mission work and trust that God will provide for them? Do I have savings in case of emergency so I can pay my bills or do I trust God to provide money from nowhere? The balance between Christian stewardship and faith is a tricky one. God does remind us not to build a tower without making sure we have the funds beforehand. How this translates to my life is a simple parallel yet it asks difficult questions. If my core value is responsibility, I will be a fiscally responsible giving Christian. If my core value is salvation, I will abandon retirement plans, savings, and a house to live in a hut in Africa and share the gospel with those who've never heard. Or maybe there is a place between?

This promise is one I shall carry with me when the excited crowds roar about running to the hills. Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign (p. 35). I don't know if I will have to flee to the mountains. I wouldn't survive very well if I had to, as I don't know how to garden or forage or build a shelter out of leaves. In this I have to trust that God will take care of me, watch for the promised sign, and then follow His clear guiding.

A Protector

I asked for a guy to walk me out to my car the other night. Ordinarily I'm a strong woman, an independent woman. I carry heavy boxes, I drive home late at night, I carry a pepper spray, and I always park under the street light in the Walmart parking lot. But then times come when I'm tired of being strong and I just want to step into the role God created for me before liberation swung too far the other way. I want to be protected.

At first I felt embarrassed at my request. Ordinarily I wouldn't ask, I was used to managing. I would casually ask someone to help me lock up after the evening program so at least I wasn't alone. But the stranger had appeared yet again and I felt uncomfortable. I swallowed hard and asked if someone could stay with me til the end of the program.

As we walked out to my car, just a little after 9 pm, a truck drove by, young men hooting and hollering nonsense from the cab, and I was grateful for the person beside me. I started my car and headed home. A thought came unbidden to mind. Never be ashamed to ask for protection.

It's a difficult world to live in when you're a single woman. I know. Men are afraid to open doors, walk you to your car, carry heavy packages, or compliment you because they don't know if you'll assert your independence and make them feel small. In the same way, I hesitate to reach out and ask for someone to make sure I'm safe because I'll be interrogated and asked why I feel unsafe if I have nothing tangible to base it on.

It is not right, though. A woman should be able to expect careful courtesy from any man. And similarly, any man should be able to expect that a woman will graciously accept his courteous assistance. The next time I find myself waving away help, I must remember to be thankful and accept it. And I hope when next I am in need of protection, I will be able to ask for it without fear of humiliation.